Cinque Terre National Park, or Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, is located in the province of La Spezia on Italy’s northern coast. Despite being Italy’s smallest national park, it covers an area of 14.9 square miles (38.6 square kilometers).

The Cinque Terre National Park’s unique blend of ecological, cultural, historical, agricultural, and scenic value distinguishes this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around 5,000 permanent residents live in the park’s five villages of Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza.

 

These cities are cleverly carved into the steep cliffs, displaying incredible vision and ingenuity. Coastal trails connect them and provide access to a variety of vegetation, including Aleppo pine, cork oak, chestnut trees, samphire, rosemary, thyme, lavender, and numerous succulents.

While wildlife is not the main attraction of Cinque Terre National Park, it is present. Keep a look out for birds like the peregrine falcon and seagull, as well as weasels, badgers, foxes, martens, and wild boars if you’re lucky.